Iraq's Parliament has been able to decide on just one thing in the past few days — and that's to meet at a later time. Politicians haven't been able to choose a speaker or other key positions to form a new government. A former Iraqi government spokesperson says its the worst dysfunction since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

One of the big sticking points between the Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq is where the money has been spent over the last several years. We've pulled the data and mapped out where the international development projects are located.

Fear is mounting in Baghdad, as rumors swirl that Sunni extremist forces are on the outskirts of the Iraqi capital. There is not much confidence that the Iraqi army can stop them. The US is delaying direct assistance until it gets assurances of political change.

Iraqis voted Wednesday in parliamentary elections. Voters held up fingers dipped in purple ink to show they had voted, as they did in previous elections in Iraq. The purple finger remains a symbol of hope.

Between them, Randy Kaplan and Zoltan Marian have collected more than 2000 autographs of heads of states, royals and popes. They share a kind of ethical code, but differ when it comes to who will they include in their collections.

A new book throws out the conventional wisdom about the Bush White House. To give you an example, it quotes one source who calls Bush the "undisputed alpha male." The book: Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House.

While aid organizations rush to help the Philippines recover from Typhoon Haiyan, there is at least some good news. Officials say the death toll should be between 2000 and 2500, rather than the 10,000 previously reported. Plus, Moscow allows subway riders to pay for their fares in squats. And Egypt stands as the worst Arab country for women. Those stories and more, in today's Global Scan.

Syria has seemed to offer up the possibility of turning over its chemical weapons to international authorities and eventually destroying them, but not only does it remain to be seen if they will, the mechanics of doing so are far from certain in a war-torn country.

Iraqis voted Wednesday in parliamentary elections. Voters held up fingers dipped in purple ink to show they had voted, as they did in previous elections in Iraq. The purple finger remains a symbol of hope.

An Iraqi election committee attempted to bar six members of parliament from taking their newly won seats on Monday, saying they had ties to Saddam Hussein's Baath Party; another 42 members of parliament may find themselves on the chopping block as well.

As Vice President Joe Biden tries to cement relations between the United States and Iraq, ordinary Iraqis are trying to determine where they stand. Some are grateful for the U.S.-led invasion but many are not.

Fear is mounting in Baghdad, as rumors swirl that Sunni extremist forces are on the outskirts of the Iraqi capital. There is not much confidence that the Iraqi army can stop them. The US is delaying direct assistance until it gets assurances of political change.

The Bush Administration has had a tough few weeks in terms of foreign policy, from Russia to North Korea to the Middle East. How much can a president hope to accomplish in his last months in office? The World's Jason Margolis reports.

Twenty years ago today, Iraqi forces significantly outnumbered and overpowered Kuwait's military as they marched in, and within a short time had overthrown the government.
We look back at August 2nd, 1990.

A controversial British politician has made an astonishing comeback. George Galloway was a harsh critic of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Last night he swept aside the mainstream parties in a by-election victory.